What is the current situation for native land rights in Australia and Oceania?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Indigenous peoples in both Australia and New Zealand have used the political process to gain more control over land and resources in their two countries. The strategies these native groups have used parallel similar efforts in North America and elsewhere. In Australia, Aboriginal groups are discovering newfound political power from both more effective lobbying efforts by native groups and a more sympathetic federal government, interested in rectifying historical discrimination that left native peoples with no legal land rights. In recent years, the Australian government established several Aboriginal reserves, particularly in the Northern Territory, and expanded Aboriginal control over sacred national parklands such as Uluru (called Ayers Rock by the British settlers). Further concessions to indigenous groups were made in 1993, when the government passed the Native Title Bill, which compensated Aborigines for lands already given up and gave them the right to gain title to unclaimed lands they still occupied. The bill also provided them with legal standing to deal with mining companies in native-settled areas.